HOW I MAKE PRIZE BUTTER. ^9 



Too much confidence in ourselves — our superior knowledge — blinds 

 our success, too little destroys it. A love for the work and a 

 necessity for it, with an appreciation for everv word of criticism, 

 have been the prime factors in my own success in dair3'ing. Hints 

 from agricultural journals, talks from practical, common-sense peo- 

 ple have all been put to good account. 



For many years I have placed my butter in direct competition with 

 fine dairies, at the P^astern Fair at Ban»or, at the Maine State Fair at 

 Lewiston, and at the New England Fair. I have always desired to 

 have it fairly tested, to have it rest on its own merits and not be 

 bolstered up by m}' personal friends, who might or might not be the 

 best judges of its quality. I have never attended the Bangor fair, 

 have never interviewed any committee, so that whatever I may have 

 received from year to 3'ear from the State stipend has been 

 honestly earned. I exhibit this butter ever}' ^-ear, not for premiums 

 alone but for comparison, for in no other way can be best deter- 

 mined the standard of excellence. By this means I have gained 

 confidence in my own methods and practices; especially within the 

 past few years, when experts from other States have been secured 

 as judges in this department, and have been pleased to qualify their 

 judgment by attaching the blue card to the Robbinsdale make. 



"• How I make prize butter." — In answering this plain question 1 

 find not the slightest chance for an}' indulgence of fine theories. I 

 may not be allowed to tell you under what conditions the nicest, 

 finest-flavored article of dairy butter might be produced. I cannot 

 speculate on the methods adopted by the best dairymen to secure 

 best results 1 cannot tell you how the Secretary of the Jersey 

 Stock Association earned his premiums, or Treasurer Briggs, of the 

 Maine State Agricultural Society, wins his golden prizes. I shall 

 not be allowed to discriminate between nice dairies and those not 

 so nice, to advocate any system of cooling milk and raising cream. 

 I presume I should be quickly called to order by any departure 

 from this subject as announced, but I may be allowed to state, in a 

 general way, that there are certain conditions favorable to success 

 in dairying operations ; nany of these conditions seem but trifles, 

 little things, but which in the aggregate make the sum total of 

 success. 



In the first place, the general purpose cow must be sacrificed, 

 and the Jerse}- or something akin to her be substituted. I have a 

 few choice Jersey cows of the Maine State Registry. These cows 



